First concept art from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 reveals new character and Baby Groot

The first concept art from the sequel to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy has been revealed. The first movie was acclaimed by critics and audience alike, so naturally expectations of the sequel are high. Now Entertainment Weekly has provided us with the first look at the characters who will be featuring in the second instalment.

So what does this first image tell us about volume 2? It comes as no surprise that the main team will be back, so fans looking for their healthy fix of Starlord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon and Groot can rest assured. Yondu, the blue skinned space pirate played by Michael Rooker, also returns. While he functioned as a minor antagonist in the first movie, his appearance on the poster might suggest that he will join up with Starlord and friends. While this is not confirmed, it would make sense because the character is one of the founding members of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the comics.

On the subject of antagonists, Gamora’s sister Nebula, played by Karen Gillan, has a prominent place on the concept art. We do not know whether she will continue on as a villain or turn into a hesitant ally, but what we do know is that her complicated relationship with Gamora will be more deeply explored, as Karen Gillan told Comic Book Resources back in November.

If you do not remember who the character between Starlord and Nebula is, don’t worry, there is nothing wrong with your memory. This is a brand spanking new character named Mantis, an acquaintance of the Guardians played by actress Pom Klementieff. Executive producer Jonathan Schwartz reveals that “she has never really experienced social interaction. Everything she learns about dealing with people, she learns from the Guardians of the Galaxy, which is a very weird group to learn your social intricacies from.”

Fans will remember that at the end of the first film, Groot had turned into the Jackson 5-loving sapling form of himself. This concept art shows that Groot is still small, which means that we will see a different Groot from the one we saw for most of the original film. According to John Schwartz this smaller Groot “doesn’t have the wisdom and experience of that Groot.” “He’s a younger Groot and a more rambunctious Groot. The question is, is he the same Groot, just smaller? Or is he a different Groot that’s sprung up from the seed of the first Groot?” All we know is that he is still voiced by Vin Diesel, so we can only hope it will involve him doing a Groot baby voice.

The concept art was drawn by Andy Park, and will be released as a special treat for fans attending San Diego’s Comic-Con International on July 21-24. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will hit theaters on May 5, 2017.